Oliver Cruz-Milan

He was born in Tamaulipas, Mexico and raised in a family with three brothers and a sister. My parents worked as educators, so I grew up appreciating the value of academic achievement and lifelong learning. After finishing high school in Mexico, I was fortunate to have the support of my family to pursue a college degree in the United States. First, I attended South Texas Community College in McAllen, and then transferred to the University of Houston where I studied a B.Sc. in Hotel and Restaurant Management while having part-time hospitality jobs. Upon graduation I moved to Cancun where not only I continued working in the tourism and hospitality industry, but also enrolled in a M.Sc. in Tourism Marketing, and started teaching as an adjunct lecturer at Universidad del Caribe. As I transitioned fully into academia and realized the importance of further research training, I returned to the United States (now with my wife, daughter, and son) to join the doctoral program in Marketing at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. After earning the Ph.D. and working as Assistant Professor at West Virginia State University, I came to the College of Business at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in 2017.